Apocalyptic Teens
by TheSaGa
Summary: Six teens go on a journey to Georgia to survive the zombie outbreak.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter One:

Tracey zoned out, distracted from the world outside the window. It was all highway and hills, rolling softly away from the world of ninth grade English, just as Tracey wished she were doing. The entire classroom seemed relatively uninterested. It was late May, a couple of weeks before exams began and everyone was desperate to get a break from the pressures of High School. Tracey's school was a small, private Middle and High School, nestled in the small town of Spartanburg, South Carolina.

Yet even with exams so close by, the class's snoring seemed to be in unison and the teacher only droned on, he too seeming drained. Tracey closed her eyes and waited for the bell to ring. She was soon interrupted by another less pleasant noise. The speaker beeped on, scaring several kids back to consciousness.

"The entire school is now on lockdown. All students and faculty must go to the gym immediately. This is not a drill. All must go to the gym immediately." The speaker clicked off.

The classroom went into uproar as the students panickedly hurried out the door and through the halls towards the gym. Tracey quickly found herself by the side of her best friend, Rosie, whose short red hair was easy to pick out of the crowd.

"Oh, my god, this is crazy, what do you think is going on? And why are we going to the gym? That's just strange, we should be cowering in the corner of our classrooms." Rosie said, puzzled, her brow furrowed in concern.

"I have no idea", Tracey whispered. She was a bit panicked herself. The announcement of danger had come so quickly she almost felt ambushed.

As the entire school filed into the gym, Tracey realized just how confounded everyone was. Not even the teachers seemed to know what was going on, and they were too preoccupied in finding out to silence the students. All the people dwarfed the gym, and Rosie and Tracey were left standing, squished among the crowd, unable to find the rest of their friends and hear anyone above the noise.

Rosie studied the crowd carefully. Tracey knew she was looking for her older brother, Liam. Rosie was close to her family, especially her brother. Rosie was a bit of a loner like Tracey, so other than Tracey, her closest friends was her family. In sixth grade, Rosie and Tracey became friends and now they were just loners together. Tracey was the same way. Though she didn't have much family to cling to. She was an only child and it had only been her and her mom for a while. Her dad was in the army and went MIA a little over a year ago, right before her first year of High School.

"Tracey! Tracey!" Rosie said in a shrill voice. Tracey shook her head, her black curls tickling her face. She zoned out again. Rosie's face was full of fear and shock. She soon saw why. The entire gym was ten times crazier than it had been. Above all the screams and voices, Tracey nearly didn't hear it. The soft, gnarled moans that seemed to generate from a horror movie. Neither human nor animal could really mimic that noise. She was instantaneously filled with utter terror.

"C'mon Tracey we have to go find Liam!"

Rosie grabbed Tracey's arm and dragged her towards the manic crowd. They found Liam's own copper red head easily. "Rosie-", Liam started, but she cut him off.

"Liam, you need to get us out of here, now!"

"Rosie, what are you talking about, we're in a lockdown. Granted, it's gotten like a madhouse in here but we cant just leave."

"Liam! Do you not hear and see what's going on around you! There's something…something monstrous out there!" Rosie shouted at him. She seemed angry, but really it was just panic. Rosie was an emotional person, Tracey knew from their many years together and often her reactions to things seemed like many unexpressed emotions muddled together.

"Rosie! That's why we need to stay inside!" Liam said, incredulous and annoyed. He opened his mouth to say more just as the metal doors to the gym were pushed open and the source of the moaning began to creep inside. They were absolutely horrific. They were literally mangled, bloody corpses, upright and walking towards them, looking at them as if they were a meal. Anything that was once human and alive in them were now utterly gone. Rosie screamed like she was being murdered and it joined the chorus of the other screams. Tracey just stood there in shock. Liam's face was drained of color.

"C'MON YOU GUYS! CMON!" Liam shouted at them. He grabbed Rosie by the arm who then grabbed Tracey along with them. They sprinted through the back doors of the gym to the parking lot. Sunlight blinded Tracey's eyes as they began to adjust. The air was full of the smell of decay and blood. It took all she had not to puke. Around her, other students began to head towards their cars as well and in dangerous flurries, cars were speeding out of the parking lot. Some people even just sprinted toward the highway. They reached Liam's jeep and hurriedly jumped inside, Liam at the wheel, Rosie at shotgun, and Tracey climbed to the back seats. Liam jammed the key in ignition, and looked around him, and hesitated. "Liam what are you-", Rosie started furiously. He cut her off. "Aiden!" he shouted. "Come with us! Hurry!"

He motioned towards a high school guy with straw blonde hair, probably a sophomore like Liam, who jumped in the trunk of the jeep. He was followed by a small, sour looking Middle school girl, probably in sixth or seventh grade. She had the same blonde hair and cold hazel eyes. Closer up, Tracey recognized the guy as one of Liam's friends, as she'd seen the two in the halls together on numerous occasions. She just guessed the girl was Aiden's younger sister or something.

"Thanks man, I thought we were screwed back there", Aiden said breathlessly.

As they begun to pull out, Tracey noticed someone, a lanky boy with messy brown hair, looking around, seeming lost and very, very scared. Getting a better look, she noticed it was Jax, a boy in her grade. She felt her heart grow taut as she grew conflicted. Knowing she had to help him, she screamed, "Stop the car!"

"What now?! We need to go! We're gonna die!" Rosie exclaimed, almost screaming.

"Jax! Get in our car!" Tracey shouted at him. His attention swiveled towards them, looking confused.

Tracey rapidly motioned for him to come. Realization replaced the confusion on his face and he sprinted towards them and hopped in the trunk clumsily, nearly hitting the other two, causing the younger girl to shriek.

"Okay, Liam lets go!" Rosie said, still almost screaming. Liam stepped on the gas and swerved out of the parking space and towards the exit. As they reached the Highway, Liam turned on Rosie. "Rosie you need to chill!"

"Chill?! Liam, if you haven't noticed, we're could've freaking died!"

"Calm the heck down, Rosie! Your panicking is ridiculous and doesn't help any of this," he shouted back at her. Rosie shut up and seemed to cower back in her seat, her arms folded across her chest.

"If you don't mind me asking, where are we going?" Jax asked meekly. Rosie turned and looked at Liam. "Liam, where_ are_ we headed too?"

Liam was definitely speeding now, but it didn't seem to matter much as they're weren't many cars and they were running for their lives.

"Where do you think we're going? We're going home, finding mom and dad, and hightailing it out of this town." He replied, focused intently on the road.

"Liam. We have other people. They can't just go home with us, they have parents and priorities too." Rosie said back to him.

"Actually, Liam's plan is the best for now. You wont have enough time to get us all home. We can go to your house, figure out what's going on and take the next step from there," Tracey piped up. The others nodded in agreement.

"Always the voice of reason", Rosie said jokingly to her best friend. They only just smiled at each other.

"No, I want-I think we should go home," the girl in the back said, almost too quiet for them to hear. "Vera, no. We're going with this plan. It's a good idea," Aiden said with finality, as if he was a parent and she was a whinny little kid. "Aiden! What about Mom and Dad and our stuff and-"

"Vera, shut it. We're sticking together for now." Aiden looked up and everyone was looking at each other. Everything felt more serious and important. What had happened, from the lockdown to monster invasion, Tracey was trying to figure it all out.

Jax seemed to read her mind. "What do you think is going on?" he said, almost to himself. All eyes were on him. "Like, what do you think this is all about? I mean, I didn't really see whatever that was back there, I just, I never thought something would happen…like what happened". He seemed nervous as he said it and looked down at his hands.

"Yeah, our school was in a total pandemonium," Tracey said, trying to lessen the awkwardness that Jax probably now felt from being the center of attention. Jax was a bit more reserved than the other kids, just like her. Tracey was quiet and preferred to think than to talk and hated being the center of attention too. "I think the world is ending," Rosie said, dead serious. "Oh sure, little Miss Dramatic," Liam teased. Everyone else stayed silent. With everything that happened, the thought didn't seem too crazy.

The car screeched to a halt, parked lousily in the middle of the driveway. They all got out of the car and grouped up. "Alright everyone, I made a list of everything we need." Aiden declared. "Of everything we need? What are you talking about?" Jax asked. "He means to survive." Tracey answered nicely. Jax nodded in understanding. "Liam, we need tents, fishing rods, anything that can be used as a weapon or to acquire food." Aiden ordered. "Rosie, Tracey, we need clothes, blankets, first aid kits, coolers of food that will last a long time and water and anything we can cook with" he continued. "Oh, so you ask the women for the cooking supplies," Rosie said lowly, rolling her eyes. "Vera, help Rosie and Tracey, Jax, come and help Liam and I, Liam lead the way." Aiden finished promptly, almost sounding rehearsed.

"Aiden, not to sound rude but who put you in charge?" Rosie said with enough sass to get her grounded if Aiden had been a parent. "Do you want to survive or not" he bit back at her. Rosie rolled her eyes again and muttered, still with an attitude "C'mon girls lets go organize the essentials." "We report back to the car in fifteen minutes!" Aiden shouted after them. Rosie continued to mutter angrily to herself as they made their way to the house. Tracey knew Rosie never liked Aiden. She found him arrogant and annoying, but Tracey wasn't going to deny that the way he took charge was exactly what they needed at the moment. They were six teenagers who escaped death in a school lockdown and now were searching for supplies as if they were going off to live in the wilderness.

The more Tracey thought about it, the more she realized that she had no clue what was happening and what they were going to do. "Rosie, what's the plan anyways? Everything Aiden is asking doesn't even explain what we're doing. Don't you think we need to find our parents?" Tracey asked, really hoping for some kind of definite answer. They were in Rosie's kitchen now, filling two coolers with water and food. Vera sat on the counter, fidgeting with her hands and trying to avoid looking at anything. Rosie was busy stuffing canned goods and any long-lasting foods into the coolers. "I don't know Tracey. I'm quite frustrated myself. Like what does he even think he's doing? I doubt he even has a solid plan." Rosie nervously glanced over at Vera as she said it, checking to see if she heard her dissing her older brother's plans. Noticing she wasn't paying attention, Rosie looked back at Tracey and sighed.

"But I found this on the counter when we came in" said Rosie. She handed a piece of printer paper with writing on it to Tracey. Tracey looked at it closely. It was a letter from Rosie's parents.

_Liam and Rosie, by the time you'll read this, we'll be gone. The military will have evacuated us. I know this is scary and we wanted to wait for you guys but it just wasn't possible. They promised us that the schools were evacuating all the kids, so I pray you don't have to read this at all. But if you are, listen to me. The world isn't safe anymore. An epidemic has started that reanimates the dead and turns them into monsters that will eat anything. They're no longer human. They will kill you. Gather food, fuel, supplies, anything you would need to be on your own. Maybe even a weapon. Be safe and don't lose each other. Everyone is being evacuated to Atlanta. If you're reading this, make sure you get all you need and head to Atlanta immediately. _

_We love you and we'll see you soon. Stay strong. Mom and Dad. _

Tracey just stared at the letter for a while. Rosie continued to pack food and other essentials. In her automatic movements and blank gaze, Tracey could see just how scared Rosie was, and just how much she was trying to fight back a breakdown. Tracey knew the feeling. All of this is just too much. "I'm gonna go tell the guys about this," Tracey said quietly, waving the note in the air. "Alright, I'll keep packing," Rosie said without looking back at her. Tracey made her way through the house and out the door, knowing the way well from the many times being there. The words _Stay strong, _were still ringing in her head. She thought of Rosie and her broken, fearful face. God, she hoped she could.

Fifteen minutes later, the six of them had a packed trunk full of everything and anything you'd think to need. After showing the letter to Aiden, he and Liam agreed they needed more supplies and weapons to kill what they called the geeks, referring to the living dead that wanted to eat us. Therefore, their load doubled and a new member was added. Liam and Rosie's Dalmatian, Yang, joined the team. He was a loyal, smart and happy dog who stayed by Rosie like the white on rice. They figured his senses and protective instincts would help them and besides, they'd never leave the animal to fend for himself. At least Rosie and Tracey wouldn't. Rosie sat in the trunk with her dog while Liam drove and Aiden navigated as co-pilot. The other three sat awkwardly in the backseat.

Tracey's thoughts drifted. She thought about her mom and worried for her safety, and her dad and wondered if he even knew what was going on or if he was even…no, she told herself and dropped it. Her thoughts also drifted to school and she thought about how ironic it was that just this morning, they were worried about the third period math test because neither Rosie nor Tracey had studied for it. "Teenagers," she muttered, "we're more prepared for a zombie apocalypse than a third period math test."

She smiled at her joke but was surprised when she heard a laugh behind her, belonging to Rosie. Jax smiled too but didn't say anything. Vera only stared through her window, her face scrunched up grumpily.

"Yeah, but we still need weapons, and I mean stuff that's more…_effective_ than kitchen knives." Aiden said in response to Tracey's joke. "By the way, take this right." Aiden pointed the way. They were now bounding on back roads leading to the country. Tracey grew worried about whether or not Liam knew the way to Atlanta. Earlier she'd suggested staying on the highway but Aiden spoke against it, saying that the highways were probably swamped with people like them trying to get to Atlanta. Jax seemed worried as well. He piped up, saying "Guys, are you sure this is the way? Trust me, back roads aren't as promising as they may seem. They'll lead you no where if you don't know where you're going."

"We're not going to no where, trust _me, _I know what I'm doing here", Aiden said a bit too snappily. She didn't like strife or arguing but Tracey couldn't help but get mad at him. He had no reason to be nasty. She opened her mouth to say something in Jax's defense, but Jax just shook his head at her, stopping her. The car stayed silent, though Tracey thought she could hear Rosie muttering again.

Soon, they pulled up near a weathered old farmhouse, clearly not in use anymore. Several hundred yards away sat an old plantation home oozing Southern Charm. "Where are we?" Rosie asked, as everyone climbed out of the car, Yang staying obediently in the back. "My friend's house. His family was rich rednecks and had a top-notch arsenal that was kept in that barn. I remember it distinctly. I've been hunting with them on their property several times." Aiden said matter-of-factly. "So what? We're just gonna raid your friend's stuff for…what? Weapons? What if its not even there?" Rosie asked crossly. She was always a stickler for the rules and for being respectful. "Please, they kept the good stuff in their freaking house. That's probably what they took. What's your problem with it anyway? Do you _want_ to survive?" Aiden spit back at her. "Hey, man, we're all on edge here all right. Everyone just chill." Liam said. Vera, so quiet Tracey nearly forgot was there, spoke up indignantly, "I am _not _shooting a gun or killing anything," she said. Her arms were folded firmly across her chest and she had a look on her face so sour it could kill a small animal and rot its body just by looking at it. "Well the little lady finally speaks." Aiden said, still cross. "Look Vera, this isn't a choice anymore. You either shoot or die and we're not covering your butt every time we have to defend ourselves, so you might as well learn."

Her tone filled with venom. "I am _NOT _using any guns, got that? I didn't ask for you to protect me, I'm just letting you know how its gonna be". Aiden was fuming now. "You don't make the rules here, little lady. I-" Aiden stopped himself and looked at everyone. "Well, _we-_" he continued but Vera interrupted him. "I'm a part of this we". "Vera, you haven't done a lick-" Aiden retorted but Rosie cut him off, "Aiden its fine, back off. Vera, if you don't want to use guns, fine, but you're at least gonna practice with a knife or something or do _something_ instead of just mope. This is survival of those-those monsters and of living with each other now guys. Either adapt or go" Rosie proclaimed. Aiden looked furious and as did Vera. Rosie just looked exhausted. Jax broke the silence, "Okay guys, lets head to the barn, shall we?" "I think we shall," Tracey agreed with a smile. They began walking side by side towards the barn. Liam walked behind them and Vera off to the side, still moping. Aiden came up behind Rosie. "Look. I get it that you don't like me, but don't tell me how to deal with my sister and don't patronize her like its your place to, 'cause really its not. I'm trying here for Liam's sake but if you don't keep that head of yours screwed on straight, I'll pop it right off without a second thought, understand?" Before Rosie could say or do anything, Aiden ran to catch up with Liam. Inside Rosie was screaming all the profanity she could think.

Tracey, Jax and Rosie gathered in a semi circle in the middle of the mostly empty barn with Aiden and Liam facing them and a chest in front of them. Vera was standing towards the entrance, her back facing them. Clearly getting her to do anything was impossible. Aiden and Liam had to smash the lock on the chest with a rock to break it open. The chest held more than a dozen guns, several dozen boxes of ammo and even some hunting knives. Tracey was beginning to get a little weary of the guns herself now looking at them. The only one who seemed completely eager to handle them was Aiden. "Okay guys, everyone take a gun. These are all shotguns really, but they'll do just fine." Aiden announced, a gun already dangling casually in his hand. They carefully grabbed a gun, one after another and held it tightly.

"Now, this is how you hold it to shoot" Aiden said, showing us the correct position. He went on with all the proper instructions on how to shoot it and where to place what and about how to safely use it and hold it and all that. Then, came the practice shots. We went outside and Aiden set up targets with anything he could find. Vera had gone back to the car. Tracey didn't blame her. She wasn't gun shy. Her father had taught her how to use guns in a proper shooting range and though she hadn't done it in a while, the skill came back easily. But the sound still shocked her, and she felt very aware of all the bullets that were flying and just how easily someone could die from a single shot. After about an hour, they packed up the guns and were on the road again, hightailing it to Atlanta.

Tracey could tell Rosie was a bit shaken up from using the gun. She had a small and slender frame like Tracey and Tracey knew how hard it was to keep her balance when firing a gun when she first started. Jax seemed to do well, though Tracey also saw from the look in his eye and the cautious, untrusting way he held the gun that he didn't like weapons. For Liam and Aiden it seemed like a breeze.

The time slowly ticked by and none of them really spoke unless it was about directions. By the feeling in the air, it felt like someone had died. For most of the way there, it was smooth sailing until we began getting close. There was a loud honk from another car that scared everyone out of their silence. He was coming from the other direction and he swerved to cut our car off, almost causing us to crash into him. Vera and Rosie shared a short scream. "Hey! What are you doing?! You could've killed us! Get out of the road!" Aiden shouted furiously through the window. Yang started to bark towards front. Both Liam and Aiden got out of the car. Rosie started to stand up herself when Liam stopped her. "Rosie, stay in the car." "Liam, I-", Rosie started but Liam cut her off, "Just stay, Rosie. Stay here," he said, dead serious. They all shared worried glances. Aiden and Liam talked with the guy outside for only a few minutes. Rosie watched them intently and silenced Yang. When they hopped back in the car, Rosie asked them urgently, "What's going on?"

Aiden and Liam shared a look and then turned to face the rest of them. They looked grave. "The guy was with his family. He said not to go to Atlanta. Its getting overrun and the military cant stop it and if we turn back down we can beat the traffic." Liam said calmly. "But our parents?! Liam, we can't just leave them, they said-" Rosie said, sounding panicked. Liam cut her off, "I know Rosie. I say we take a vote. Turn back and see what happens or head to Atlanta." "Turn back and go where?" Jax said. "Exactly," agreed Rosie. "We go to Atlanta." Tracey nodded in agreement, not seeing any other logical option. "And if it's overrun?" Aiden asked, his face scrunched up and tense. Rosie looked him dead in the eye. "Then its overrun."

Soon enough, they started to see what the guy was talking about. Traffic the other way began to get heavier and much more rushed, alarming everyone else. Two more arguments sprouted, mostly between Aiden, Rosie and Liam about going to Atlanta. Tracey joined in on some of them and Vera still stayed silent. When the city arouse in front of them, Tracey felt like she was entering an action movie. Military helicopters and planes and trucks were all around. She heard intense gunshot left and right and people screaming. They got closer and closer, but screeched to a halt in the middle of the road as they almost entered the city. "This is way too insane, we cannot go in there!" Aiden shouted at them above the sounds of chaos.

"Our parents are in there, Aiden. Don't you even care about them?!" Rosie angrily shouted back. "Rosie we could, no, probably will die if we drive into that city! Do you not see what's going on in there?!" Liam yelled at her. Tracey piped up, her gut screaming at her to. "We have to. It's our families, guys. We can't just turn back." "I'm with Tracey." Jax said about to say more but Vera interrupted him. "No!" she screamed. "Aiden, drive back now. Drive back home now. This is stupid, we never should have come here!"

Before anyone could respond, they heard a horrific moan and growl near them. The moans and growls multiplied. Looking in front of them, a small group of the creatures made their way towards them. They seemed to separate from the chaos around them. The six teenagers were paralyzed in their seats, unable to rip their eyes away from the monstrosities in front of them. "Aiden!" Vera screamed. "Aiden, kill it! Shoot it! Do something!"

Aiden was shaking. He fumbled for a gun and stumbled out of the car. Liam joined him and soon enough Tracey went right after them on impulse. "Tracey!" Rosie yelled after. She jumped out of the car after her. "Jax, stay with Vera!" Rosie commanded to him. The creatures hungrily made their way towards the four of them. They all held up their guns, but were reluctant to shoot. Rosie was nearly in tears. They were ten feet away. Both Aiden and Liam raised their guns, clutching them tightly.

Rosie was begging them to shoot, full on sobbing now. Her gun was resting limply by her side and her hand was covering her mouth. Her sweet blue eyes were full of tears and horror. Tracey raised her gun and after a second, fired, aiming for the head. The creature nearest to them slumped to the ground. Aiden and Liam looked startled and almost as broken as Rosie as they looked back to see where the shot came from. They moved back and Tracey fired, again and again and again, until every one of the monsters near them had a bullet in their head. The three of them stared at Tracey, who was doing her best not to cry herself. She swallowed her tears. "C'mon guys, lets get out of here." Tracey said quietly, already heading back for the car. No one argued. They hightailed it out of the city. Aiden and Liam were shaken up, but hiding it well and Jax and Vera just seemed solemn. Rosie was torn apart. Tracey was surprised she herself was holding up this well. Perhaps she was used to it. Used to numbing horrible things to move on.

"We need a bigger car." Aiden said soon after they left city limits. Everyone looked at him funny as he parked on the side of the road and got out. They all followed. "What are you doing?" Jax asked. "Just trust me" Aiden replied. He opened the trunk and began to transport things over to a big, grey band van a few feet away. Rosie laughed and joked, "When in an apocalypse" and began to help. The trunk doors of the van had been left wide open. He and Liam emptied out what was left in the van. It was clear to Tracey now that Aiden must've played some kind of sport. Aiden got the key to turn with a bobby pin and everything was packed in, the six of them even more comfortably on their way to no where than before. The van had three rows and a massive trunk. All their stuff seemed to bounce around in the back.

"Where are we going from here?" Tracey asked. She seemed like the only one with enough energy to say anything. Liam answered, "I guess we just try not to die". "Great plan bro" Rosie scoffed. "Got a better one," Liam replied. Rosie stayed quiet. "No but seriously. We have no parents, no sense of direction, the world kind of just fell apart and we're here, riding around a state we're not familiar with in a stolen van," Jax said, sounding more tired than sarcastic. "I say we head to where we can be safe from the infected. Possibly live off the forest or something and try to find others."

And that's exactly what they did. That night, they parked somewhere that looked promising and camped out. From then on, they lived in clearings and lived like backpackers. In the day they desperately searched for others and tried to keep away from the infected. When their supply of food and water was getting low, they knew they had to find others soon. Multiple arguments were had over the matter. They were all terrified for their lives. Then the water and food supply completely ran out.

"That's it, we are done for. I knew if we hadn't stopped so much and just kept looking, this wouldn't have happened," complained Rosie. Another argument was boiling. Rosie seemed to be in most of the arguments these days. Whether it was with Aiden for making stupid decisions or with Liam for being over- protective and treating her like a child. Vera often had arguments with Aiden for both reasons, though she didn't mind being coddled as much. It meant she didn't have to do as much. Though Rosie had the arguments that kept people in line.

In the past few weeks, the roles in their little group really started to define themselves. Aiden was the leader. Liam was his VP, but he also was full-time protective big brother. Jax was surprisingly good at finding safe places and noticing things we wouldn't have, so he was our scout. Tracey was the bravest and the best with a gun, but ironically also the calmest. She was more of the peacemaker than the infected killer. And then there was Vera, who was liability. The only reason the rest kept her around is because they aren't heartless people. But everyone knew that Rosie kept them on track. She was the problem-fixer. "Guys can we not pick a fight? Please." Jax said, he sounded exasperated. "No, Rosie please _do_ continue. Go ahead and list all the reasons why I suck, why I'm a screw-up, go ahead," Aiden spat at her.

Rosie looked as if she'd been slapped. "I didn't mean-I…" she began. "Whatever," Aiden said interrupting her. She stayed quiet in the back, the air in the car familiarly tense. "You know all this fighting wont make anything better," Liam said. "That doesn't matter right now, we need food and water guys," Tracey said firmly. "Lets go to the woods," Jax said, clearly getting frustrated. "No, we need to find others. I know they're here somewhere," Aiden said. "Aiden, We. Are. Dying. We can't just keep going in circles searching for something that's not there," Vera said, losing her temper. "Guys can we all just try to stay calm and think clearly". That was Liam.

"Guys." Rosie said, finally piping up. "I seriously don't need your snarky-ness right now Rosie," Aiden said rudely. "Seriously man? Cool it," Liam said. "Cool it? I have been dealing with that-", Aiden yelled but Liam cut him off, "With that what? That is my sister. Why don't you tell yours to get a grip on reality and do something other than sit there." "Excuse me," came Vera's voice from the back seat. "GUYS!" Rosie shouted. Everyone quieted down. "Look!" Rosie pointed towards the sky, which first was unnoticeable but then became clearer as she pinpointed it. It was a cloud of smoke rising from the middle of the forest. "I think we just found our Others," Rosie muttered. Tracey turned to face her. "Was that a Lost reference?" she asked with a smile. Rosie grinned back. "You know me too well".


	2. Chapter 2: Tracey's Predicament

Chapter 2:

They cautiously made their way from the road to the woods. The smell of roasting meat and smoke filled the air. Aiden was leading the way, and everyone else followed. They heard voices, arguments. Tracey and Rosie were getting even more worried every time they heard a shout or loud voice.

When they got to the camp, they peered from the bushes and saw all of the people. The Others had a big campfire, and they were definitely not as cautious about this as they should have been. We all watched while they cooked. The bushes were pricking us and scratching us. We were thinking of leaving, until a voice yelled from behind us.

"Look here, Adam!' a man behind us yelled. Tracey gripped the gun in her hand, and stared at the man. He was in his late twenties, he had a Puerto Rican accent, and a mustache. Aiden and Liam got in front of the rest of them. "We're not here to fight." Aiden said. "We don't have anyone looking out for us, and we saw your campsite, so...we thought you could help us." Liam said.

The man thought about it for a moment. "A couple of teens like you would probably make the adults a little less tense, especially for the little lady." he smiled at Vera. "I'm not little! Aiden, I want to go now. These people are weird!" Vera complained. Tracey and Rosie rolled their eyes, sometimes Vera was a handful.

"Vera, we can't stay by ourselves. Tracey had to get us out of that attack. We can't just rely on her when the guys can't handle it. We need supplies, and adults are good. They can protect us from the Sick." Aiden reasoned. Vera stuck out her lip and considered the options. "Fine." she muttered.

"Fantastic!" the man smiled. We were led into the less prickly entrance of the camp. "Yeah, sorry about the bushes, those things protect us from the Bitten." the man apologized. "That's what you call those things?" Rosie guessed. "Yeah, your Sick is our Bitten" the man explained,"By the way, my name is Juan Pablo."

Vera chuckled at the name. Aiden shushed her harshly, and she glared back, but didn't respond. "J.P! Where have you been?" one woman asked, and ran to hug him. "My wife, Felicia." Juan said. "Oh, children! We haven't seen any since the attack." Felicia smiled and looked at all of them. She looked at Tracey, and they smiled at each other. "Well, I guess you should meet the others." Juan decided.

"There is only four others: Adam, Lucia, Walter, and Trevor." Juan pointed them all out to us. The Others gathered around us and smiled. None of them had kids or had seen one since this whole thing started. "So, I guess it's our turn." Jax thought, this was the first thing he had said since we left the van.

"I am Aiden, this is my sister Vera. That's Liam and his sister Rosie, and those two are Jax and Tracey." Aiden introduced us all. Rosie and Tracey waved when their name was called. "Well, you all must be hungry. Let's eat." Juan smiled. Walter was going to say something, but Adam looked at him.

We had venison, caught by Trevor, which was delicious. They hadn't had much meat since the beginning of it all. None of them talked, just ate enough, and thanked them all. "Where will we sleep for the night?" Rosie asked Liam quietly. He shrugged.

Tracey was once again zoned out, but she was observing the Others. Adam had brown hair and streaks of color. He was the most talkative, but he seemed to be the more leadery type of person in the group. Lucia was Adam's girlfriend. She also had streaks of color. She seemed more quiet, but almost equally loud when in a one-on-one conversation.

Trevor was like a hillbilly, only cleaner, if that was possible. He had a bow 'n arrow, and the curliest beard ever to be seen in Georgia. Walter was like the creepy neighbor from inside the suspected haunted house. He was pale and looked like Barrymore from Hound of the Baskervilles. Felicia was very sweet, and did most of the talking. She was a very muscular woman, and also could read palms. Juan Pablo was the nicest of them all. He was like a golden boy, or a model neighbor. He was like a fireman, doing small yet heroic deeds. There was something else. Something none of them wanted to tell us, but maybe we could find out tomorrow.

Jax snapped Tracey from her thoughts. "So, do you like it here?" he asked. "Well, we do need adults, so this is the best option. Aiden is right, if we want to survive, we need more protection. They froze out there, we can't let that happen again." Tracey said. "I know we need them, but do we like them?" Jax asked again. Tracey thought for a moment. She understood what Jax was asking, but she didn't know the answer.

"I don't know. We've only just met them. We can't be too quick to judge out loud." Tracey answered. Jax sat next to her and sighed. "You always know what to say, don't you?" he smiled. She smiled back, and looked into the fire. Aiden announced something while she zoned out, and she shook her head.

"I'm sorry, can you repeat that?" Tracey blushed, embarrassed she missed it. "We're going to bring the van here, there is a makeshift road here. We'll sleep in it, and decide what to do in the morning." Aiden repeated, slightly frustrated. Tracey decided to apologize to him when she got the chance.

"Okay, so I'm going to go with Tracey to get the van. You guys stay here with them, we'll be back in 20 minutes." Aiden promised. Tracey saw her chance, and when they were a good 100 feet out, she told him. "Hey, Aiden. I'm sorry for zoning out back there. It's something that just happens, and I didn't know what was going on." she apologized.

"Well, just be more aware that when I make an announcement, you either listen or ask someone else. You just embarrassed yourself back there, and I repeated it to save you." Aiden said harshly. Tracey was a little surprised by the tone of his voice. "You sure you're okay?" she asked him. "Yes, I am perfectly fine! Just stop worrying about me." Aiden snapped.

Tracey kept quiet after that. We found the truck, and rode on in silence. Before we got out of the van, Aiden asked her to stay. "Tracey, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have snapped." he said. "Don't worry about it." Tracey brushed it off easily. She could easily forgive, but it was harder to forget.

They all fell asleep in the tent and van. Yang kept guard for an hour, then settled down to sleep. Rosie was still awake, thinking. She was probably over thinking the people, but something about them bothered her and Tracey.

The next morning, they were all put to work. "Tracey, I see you like bows. How about I give you a few pointers?" Trevor offered. "That would be great." she agreed, happy to practice. She hadn't used it in a few weeks, so she was a little rusty. "Aiden and Liam, you guys can have a target practice, with guns. A little birdie told me someone froze yesterday while facing some Bitten." Adam smiled.

"Rosie and Vera, you guys can come practice some better melee weapons. We have baseball bats and machetes, but nothing your brothers wouldn't want you to have." Juan Pablo reminded them. "And Jax can come with me to go fishing." said Walter.

"Before we go, Rosie and Tracey had a question for Lucia." Jax smiled at them. "I knew it, we shouldn't have told him." Rosie said, throwing her hands up. "Yes?" Lucia smiled. "Well, we were thinking...could you put some color in our hair?" Tracey asked.

"Of course, but tonight. The supplies are under some stuff, so we can get it later." Lucia agreed. "Perfect." Rosie smiled, and left with Adam. They all went to their separate teachers, and learned better skills.

Tracey learned how to control the bow more comfortably, and reload faster. She easily learned how to track and hunt more efficiently. Aiden and Liam learned how to handle the guns better, and weren't going to freeze up again.

Rosie and Vera picked out better close range weapons than the ones we had before. Rosie and Jax got an axe; Vera and Tracey, a machete; Aiden and Liam got a tomahawk. Jax was becoming a better fisherman.

Rosie and Tracey went to Lucia. "Okay, so what do you want?" Lucia wondered. "Well, I want purple streaks, dark purple." Tracey decided. "I want the blue tips." Rosie smiled. "Fantastic." Lucia clapped her hands. An hour later, they had different hair.

Jax smiled when he saw them. They looked the same, and the color choices were good. "Rosie?!" Liam yelled from across the camp. "What? I got my tips dyed." Rosie looked at her hair. "You got you hair changed?! Why didn't you tell me?!" he yelled. "Wow. Ummm, I'm gonna go leave you two, and go find..." Tracey backed off, and Jax followed her.

"Why are you being so overprotective? I love you, and I know this thing is scary, but I can take care of myself." Rosie argued. "I know, I know... It's just that, when I froze, I couldn't protect you. And I freaked." Liam buried his face in his hands. "Hey, no one expected any of us to be able to kill anything." Rosie comforted her brother.

Jax and Tracey watched them. "Oh, okay. They aren't mad, just scared. Good. Nothing bad." Tracey breathed a sigh of relief. "Yeah. One thing we don't need is fighting between siblings." Jax agreed. Walter teared his way out of his tent. "Okay, children. Up front, stand to attention." he ordered. Tracey knew what that meant, they were in trouble. Tracey stood up straight in front of him, and stared him in the eye.

Jax, Rosie, Aiden, and Liam all stood like she did. Vera slouched a slight bit, and paid the penalty. "Vera, stand up straight." Walter barked. She stood up straight, but glared at him. He passed it off. "Okay, as leader of this group, it has come to my attention that my people has given you weapons. I know during this difficult time you need them, but so do we. So, tomorrow, you will start pulling your weight. It's every man for themselves. Only exception, families. So, everyone gets their own food, they get their own things, and if they are sick they need to get medicine themselves." Walter yelled.

Jax and Tracey looked at each other. "You are all dismissed." Walter said, and left. Tracey stared after him. "What was that? Okay, we're going to leave." Aiden growled. "We can't leave. This is our best chance of surviving." Rosie argued. "Well then, you can stay here. The rest of us are leaving." he announced. Liam stood by Rosie, then Jax, then Tracey. "Sorry, Aiden, but Rosie's right. We can't leave. Maybe if they do something terrible, but we need adults." Liam said.

Aiden stormed off. Tracey looked after him, and looked back at Rosie. "Go try to calm him down." Rosie read her mind. Tracey ran after him. "Hey." she greeted. He said nothing. "Well, it's going to get better. The adults are here, we don't have to fight as much, and we could practice with people who know what they're doing." Tracey explained. "No it won't. These people are corrupted. No one can see that. I know we can't be too quick to judge out loud, but Tracey, be honest. Do you trust these people?" he asked. "No. We haven't been here long, but it's hard to gain trust." she reminded him.

They were walking far from camp. Tracey heard growls. She drew her machete, and Aiden held a stick. "You left your tomahawk?" Tracey noticed. "Well, I didn't think we'd go this far." Aiden made up an excuse. The growls were definitely of the Sick. They got closer to it, and they saw something that shocked them. A gigantic airport filled with the Sick. They ran back.

Aiden and Tracey were out of breath. The group wasn't really worried. Two weeks passed. There were several fights, and Aiden always ran to the airport. Tracey always ran to calm him down. That's what the others thought, really they were just talking.

Everyone's skills improved greatly, and they all got better at guns. Tracey was a hunter and bowman. Jax was an excellent fisher. Vera knew the edible plants. Aiden and Liam could also hunt. Rosie was the medic; very, very reluctantly.

Everyone was sitting around the campfire, eyeing Juan Pablo and Walter. They had had several heated battles the last few weeks. No one was ever 'safe' from them. They brought in everyone. Most of them were about the teens. Walter was the first to make the move. Instead of arguing, he grabbed a gun. "J.P, I think I saw a deer. Would you come with me?" he asked. Walter grabbed a gun, and followed him.

They all waited in silence, and then they heard the gunshot. Walter came back, with no Juan or deer. "Walter? Where is J.P?" Felicia asked. Walter raised the gun, and shot her in the leg. She cried out, and Trevor tackled him. Adam guarded us. Walter's gun was raised toward them. "Leave, now!" Adam yelled, and they ran to the van.

The tent was packed in the van with our weapons and stuff, so they didn't need to pack. They drove for awhile, still shaken by the fact the one who helped them was dead. Jax broke the silence.

"Maybe next time, we send only two of us to see if the group is fit for us." was all he said. The next few miles lead us to a river separating two sides. "Can we stop for camp soon? I know it must be hard to keep your focus on the road, or someone can switch." Tracey said.

Aiden pulled over. "Okay, keep watch. Liam, you first, then Tracey, me, and Rosie." he announced tiredly. They all fell asleep, and by morning, everyone was 'okay'. They all travelled in the van, straight ahead, not knowing where they would go.

It was awhile before anyone said anything. "So, how about we say something." Jax thought aloud. "Yeah." Liam smiled,"How is everyone doing?"

"Well, let's see...a guy was just murdered. The weather is crap as always, and we have no clue where to go from here." Vera snapped. Aiden stopped the car.

"Tracey, you get up front. Vera, get back there." Aiden said. Vera looked hurt, but gladly stayed in the back with Yang. Tracey went to the front.

"Okay, we are going to the country. Not many of the Sick would be there, so we could basically go untouched." Aiden announced. They all had their faith restored in their leader.

It was two hours of awkward silence until we found a back road. "I think the highway is going to be jammed, so let's take the back road." Rosie pointed out. Aiden listened

to her warning, and went to the back road. "Okay, so what are we looking for?" Liam asked. "Well, lots of space, barn, big enough farmhouse, and maybe horses." Aiden smiled.

They looked for awhile and found the perfect spot. "Well, two horses, tons of cows, and chickens, gigantic space, barn, and farmhouse." Aiden checked off his mental list. They got out and brought out the weapons. "Clear out the farmhouse first, then the barn." Liam decided.

The farmhouse had a hazel outside, and a light orange on the inside. All the furniture was covered in blankets. "I don't think anyone lives here at the moment." Rosie observed. "No, but rather be safe than sorry." Tracey chuckled.

The house was clear, and the barn was too. "I think that this is going to be our haven." Jax smiled. They all agreed, and got to work with the beds.

"Okay, so there are four beds. And not all of us can share, so one has to bunk three, and the other one. Why? Because the awkward guy and girl situation." Aiden announced. Rosie and Tracey shared one room; Jax, Aiden, and Liam another; and Vera by herself, but in the smallest room.

"Hey, Aiden? Can I go get some hunting in? We need food, but the cows are too big." Tracey asked. "Of course, but take Yang." he suggested. Tracey and Yang went out into the forest with a bow and hunting bag. She caught a few birds and a couple squirrels. Then, she headed to the creek, until she saw some people. An old man was leading a Sick one by a collar and bringing him someplace. Tracey followed him.

He was with others, and she saw a massive group of them with one kid. Tracey saw an opportunity to greet them, but decided against it. She ran back, excited and worried about what the news would mean for the teens.

"Guys, I saw another group. They were bigger than the other one, but they did have women and children. They could be better than the Others." Tracey said quickly and then waited for a response. No one understood her, except for Rosie. "So, Aiden, what should we do?" Rosie asked him.

"About... Sorry, but I didn't understand your rapid English." he apologized. Tracey repeated it slower, and they all understood. "I think Jax's idea is brilliant for this. Tracey and Jax will go spy, and tell us in a week." Aiden said. She spent the night at the house, devising a plan on how to play it off as innocent kids.

"Okay, the plan will be that I go first, we could be separated. Then you'll come in two or three days, and we can be reunited." Tracey suggested. "Wow, that was very well improvised." Jax laughed. "Yang will come with Jax, but we can hold our own here. Come back alive." Aiden told me.

Tracey smiled, maybe they were becoming good friends. She left with a bow, and ran into an accident. A man, one who seemed crazy was nearby. He attacked her, and left Tracey with a bleeding arm and burned hand. "Ouch." she complained, and made her way to the farm house.

She rehearsed the plan in her head, but it was hard to concentrate. She walked to the edge of the forest, and collapsed.

Tracey woke up in a bed, and freaked. She jumped out and looked around. No one was watching her, they were probably outside deciding her fate. She cautiously opened the door and peered out. They were out on the porch, and she knew that someone would come for her eventually. What she didn't notice was the door on the other side. A man, a redneck, smiled from the other side of the room. She had no idea he was there.

"Hey, you may want to look around the room before you decide to leave this one." the man laughed. Tracey turned around, frightened. "Don't worry, I'm not bad. I'm Daryl." he introduced himself. "I'm Tracey." she said. "Well, Tracey, how did you get those injuries?" Daryl asked. "Accidents, burned my hand on a supposedly unused pan, and I fell onto a sharp rock." she lied.

"Okay. Well, tell me about how you survived." he asked. "Umm, I had a group, and we all got separated. I went hunting with a friend and then I got lost. Then I fell, and found my way here." Tracey remembered the back up story.

Daryl sat back in a chair, and smiled. "Well, you aren't going back to your group anytime soon. You arm is worse than you think, but maybe you heal faster than others." he remarked. "Who are the others, out there?" Tracey wondered. "Oh, the leader, doctor, right hand man, then the others." Daryl answered vaguely.

"What are you?" she asked out of curiosity. "I am the hunter and tracker. By the looks of things, so are you." he smiled. Tracey relaxed a little. Daryl seemed nice and maybe vouched for the underdogs, and that's what she needed. The door opened behind her. "Oh, she's awake. Faster than I had anticipated." the old man from the creek commented,"My name's Hershel, the doctor."

"I'm Tracey." she said. "Well, Tracey, you gave us quite a scare. Daryl had to convince us that you weren't a Walker. I take it you are quite a skilled tracker and hunter." Hershel said. Tracey sat back on the bed, and answered some medical questions, then the leader asked me some different ones.

"Tracey, I'm Rick. Well, I have a few other questions for you. Did you have a group?" he asked. "Yes, but we were separated." Tracey answered. "Is there any place that we could find them?" he wondered. "Not that I can think of. Maybe a farmhouse, but they could have left." she replied. "How many groups have you been in?" he asked. "Two." Tracey answered truthfully.

"And how many people have you killed?" he asked finally. "None." she replied.

Rick went back to talk with Hershel, and Daryl went along with them. "One of the women will bring you something to eat." he said before he left. Tracey waited for awhile, and began zoning out again. Someone entered the room with food. "Hello, I'm Lori, Rick's wife. Here's something for you to eat." she said, and left. Tracey ate the sandwich given to her and waited.

Daryl came back in after I finished the sandwich. "Would you like to go outside?" he asked. "Sure." Tracey agreed and followed him out. The Others were doing different things. Some were talking, others cooking, and one was on the top of an RV looking around.

"So, this is the girl." one man smiled at me. He was older, and had a fishing hat on. "I'm Dale." he introduced himself and took out his hand. "Nice to meet you, my name's Tracey." she shook his hand. "Now, there's a decent soul in the horrid times." he joked. Tracey smiled. So many people, Tracey thought, maybe this could be a little overwhelming.

Everyone was curious now, and that sort of became overwhelming. She met everyone. There was Carl, Carol, Glenn, Maggie, Patricia, Beth, T-Dog, Andrea, and Shane. That was a crowd to get used to, Tracey thought.

That day, she did a few chores, but nothing too strenuous. Her arm was stitched, and anything could reopen it. Daryl kept a close eye on her, and so did Rick. Shane and Andrea was suspecting of her. Carol didn't pay too much attention to her, because she was still grieving the death of her daughter.

Everyone else kept the way they were. Tracey thought about the group, and what was going on there. Jax was coming in a few days with Yang. Then, they could tell Rick, but something was wrong. Could they trust a liar?

Dale called Tracey up to the RV. "So, how do you like it so far?" he asked. "It's a very close group. You guys are so nice. Thanks for taking me in." Tracey smiled. "Well, some folks don't want your stay to be permanent." Dale told her. "Really? I did just get here." Tracey chuckled. "You see, Carol just lost her daughter, and some folks see it as a sign that maybe she could try again." Dale thought.

Tracey looked at Carol. She was sad, but didn't show it as much. Daryl was looking around. "What will happen to me?" Tracey wondered out loud. "By the looks of things, you would stay." Dale said. Tracey thought about things. The teens could stay, but it would mean regaining trust, and that would be harder now that it had been broken.

"Tracey, did you tell Rick the truth?" Dale asked. Tracey looked up at him, and nodded, lying yet again. "Okay, it's just that some teens lie to protect others, which to me, seems like you." he commented.

Hershel went onto the porch, looking for Daryl, Rick, Shane, and Tracey. Tracey came down from the RV and looked back at Dale, then followed the others. She was nervous, they could find out about her at any moment. "Well, for starters, I just wanted to see how Tracey was handling the crowd." Hershel smiled. She smiled back, more nervous or shy.

Daryl was smiling at Tracey. Shane didn't even glance at her. Rick was just focused on talking to Hershel. "If it's about the barn, I am sorry." Rick apologized. "No, but I wanted to talk about a different matter, there was a man spotted in the woods. He could be part of your group." Hershel said to Tracey. "Could be." she thought, but then quickly remembered the crazy guy,"Or that crazy man that terrorized our group."

Rick noted that, and continued with the conversation. "So, what else needs to be addressed?" he asked. "Well, a few things. One, Tracey. Is she staying or not?" Daryl asked. "Depends on what the rest of us think. But, I admit we need more hunters." Rick answered. "Yeah, adults. I'm sorry, but I don't trust the kid." Shane admitted, and realized Tracey was there.

She was a little offended, but tried not to let it show. "I...I" Shane stuttered, and left. Tracey sighed, and looked at the others. "Second, animals. I know you may not think we need any dogs, but hunting and finding can be very useful." Hershel commented. "So, we need a dog?" Daryl guessed. "We can find some." Rick shrugged.

Yang would be here in a few days, and then we could hunt, Tracey thought.

Hershel left to tend to a family matter, and they were left alone. Andrea was outside, and from the moment she saw me, she made a face. "Rick, may I speak with you?" she asked. "Of course." Rick replied, and they went away.

Now it was just Daryl and Tracey. "So... You do know that most of them don't trust you, right?" Daryl wondered. "Yeah, Dale told me." Tracey sighed. "Well, just to let you know that not all of us are that way; Dale, Rick, and I trust you." Daryl said. "Really?" she smiled.

"You're different from the others. We respect you for that, and your bow is quite impressive." he laughed. She laughed, and remembered the first time she used it. "What's going on with everyone else?" Tracey asked. "Shane and Andrea don't like you, at all. Everyone else is just recovering from yesterday." Daryl sighed.

Night fell, and Tracey wondered about where to sleep. She walked around, and waited for someone to tell her something. Everyone was now asleep, and Tracey was still outside. She finally worked up the courage to climb to the top of the RV and slept there.

The next morning, she woke up early, and looked around from the top. The fields were filled with cows, there was a barn, and a forest surrounded them. "Good morning." Rick greeted from the bottom of the RV. Tracey climbed the ladder back down. "Good morning." she said.

"Well, there isn't much to do here, you can cut vegetables, or tend to the horses, but otherwise...nothing much." Rick informed her. "That's all I think Hershel would let me do." Tracey thought. Rick agreed.

He went to the farmhouse to talk with Hershel, but he was nowhere to be found. The girl named Beth was in shock. "Well, things really hit the fan when the girl came here." Shane said to Rick,"Why don't we just let her heal and then send her on her way, she has a group. Just let her go."

Rick looked at him. "Shane, this is a little girl. We are not doing that a second time." he said, and walked away. This happened within earshot of Tracey, and she heard every word. "Don't worry about them." Daryl said from behind her,"Shane feels threatened by anything."

Tracey smiled, at least someone was there on her side. They walked to the stables and talked. "So, you left your dad?" Daryl wondered. "Yeah, I left with my friends, but we didn't go back for him or the other adults." Tracey answered,"We thought they would be in Atlanta, but..."

Tracey comforted the horses. Daryl was cleaning them. "So, your last group, what were they like?" he asked. "We were different. Small group, mostly kids. We have a dog. I mostly tried to keep the peace, but there were several arguments. Not too much happened with us. Barely any walkers." Tracey remembered her friends and missed them.

"Do you really think they left you?" Daryl wondered. "No, not really, but then again I don't know what's happening." Tracey admitted.

Rick came to the stables. "Daryl, Glenn and I are leaving. We're going to the bar and try to find Hershel. Take care of everyone, Shane is still here, so you two are in charge." he told him,"Tracey, you can just ask for something to do."

Rick left quickly with Glenn. There was a bark heard in the forest. "A dog?" Carl guessed, and everyone looked to the forest. A boy walked to them, with a dog. Lori went to him, and brought him back to the camp. They talked for awhile.

When Daryl and Tracey walked back to camp, he saw her. "Oh my lord." Tracey gasped. Jax saw her and ran his head through his hair, and ran to her. They hugged, and everyone was happy for the two. "Good acting." Jax whispered. "You too." Tracey smiled.

Daryl was curious about them. He looked at them and wondered about something. Jax had news about the others, they were doing fine, and that they had been able to grab tons of supplies. Tracey was just happy that they were okay.

It was a few hours before Lori began to get worried. "I have to go after them." she said. "They'll be fine." Andrea reassured her. She didn't listen, and left when no one was looking.

Rick, Glenn, and Hershel came back, but Lori was still out there. Shane didn't know Lori was gone. He blamed Tracey and Jax. "You distracted us from knowing!" he yelled. "Hey, back off, they're just kids." Daryl said to him.

"No, you stay out of this. Ever since Tracey got here, things have gone haywire." Shane said. "Like what?" Tracey asked boldly. "One, Hershel disappearing. Two, Beth fainting. Three, Carol's punishment." Shane listed.

"What does Carol have to do with me?" Tracey asked.

"Carol's daughter dies then you waltz in, and remind her of her daughter!" Shane yelled. Tracey was shocked and hurt, and thought about it. Daryl and Shane were arguing, but Tracey didn't hear it. She drowned out all the noise, and walked away. No one followed he from awhile.

Se sat down on a log and thought. Jax sat next to her quietly. "Tracey, are these people good?" he asked. "Yes." she told him. "Then, we'll stay." he smiled, and they both went back to camp.

Shane had a cut on his cheek, presumably from Daryl, who was now checking up on Tracey. No one saw him as a fatherly type, but he was protective. That night, Lori, Rick, Glenn, and Hershel came back. Hershel helped Beth, and removed Tracey's stitches.

"You recovered quickly. You can go hunting again, but nothing too strenuous." Hershel reminded her. Tracey was excited, hunting was one thing she wanted to do all the time. Daryl moved away from the group. He was fed up with everyone but Tracey.

Tracey was yet again wondering where to sleep. Jax was invited to sleep in a tent with Shane, and he agreed. Yang was with Tracey, happy to be alive.

Tracey looked around, and didn't want to go on top of the RV due to Yang's connection with her. "Aw, Yang. Where to go." she laughed to herself. Eventually, Maggie came outside.

"You can sleep in the house, and the dog too." Maggie offered. Tracey followed her inside, and when they got to the room, Yang and Tracey fell asleep. She thought about everything, and how to tell everyone about the rest of them.

The next morning, Tracey went to Daryl with her bow. "Do you want to go hunting?" she asked. Daryl smiled, and got his crossbow. They went into the forest with Yang, and hunted for all of the people. At the end of it, they counted their kills.

"One pheasant, two rabbits, three squirrels, and one woodchuck." Tracey smiled. "Three rabbits, and two squirrels." Daryl laughed. "I win." she said proudly. "Fine, but next time, leave the dog. Then we'll see who wins then." Daryl bet. "Yeah." she agreed.

When they got to the camp, everyone was in an uproar. Two sides. Kill the kid, or not to. This lasted for awhile. Two nights later, they had a debate. Tracey was on top of the RV, looking around. A cow collapsed, and she went to tell them, but they were too preoccupied to listen.

When the debate was over, Dale went to the RV and saw what Tracey saw. He went to go investigate, but didn't tell anyone. Tracey told Daryl what she saw. "Well, when I was on the RV, a cow just collapsed. I didn't see why, but maybe if it was a walker, then..." Tracey trailed off, and Daryl ran to the fields a little to late. Everyone was ran there when they heard the screams.

There was a half eaten cow, and a walker...tearing into Dale. Daryl shot the walker, and then looked at Dale. Dale was suffering, and Rick held up the gun, but couldn't do it. Daryl took the gun in his hands, and looked to the side. "Sorry, brother." he said, and shot him.

They returned in silence with Dale. Andrea was crying, and so was Lori. Daryl, Shane, Glenn, and Rick had expected Tracey to be crying, but she stayed strong. The next morning, they had a funeral. Tracey had been crying that night before she slept, but no one noticed.

The funeral was short, and then Shane stationed someone by the kid they got the night Hershel disappeared. "You guys aren't going to kill him, are you?" Tracey asked. "We have to. His group is vile. We don't want that to happen to us." Rick answered. "But won't killing him just anger them more if they find us?" she wondered. Rick thought about it.

Shane on the other hand just grew more and more annoyed by Tracey. "C'mon, Stone Heart, not everything has to be logical." he said. "Sorry, what did you call me?" she asked. "Stone Heart," Shane repeated,"You didn't even show any emotion when Dale died."

"I'm not that kind of person." Tracey shrugged, and went over to Jax, who Shane had actually taken a liking to. "So, what should we do?" he asked. "I don't know. One by one?" Tracey guessed. "Yeah, we'll get the word across somehow." Jax agreed. "Or...tell them and pick them up." Tracey thought.

"Too risky." Jax said.

A few days later, they decided on what to do. It began in the morning, the kid was going to be killed. Daryl, Shane, and Rick were going to do it. "Jax, if they kill him, we're leaving." Tracey decided with a heavy heart. Jax and Tracey grabbed their stuff, but decided to do one last thing. Tracey wrote a note for the entire group:

Dear Group,

We've grown to like you all, but we had to leave. We didn't want you to kill the guy, and it brought back memories we tried so hard to keep away. I lied. I did have a group, one full of teens. I'm sorry, but if you knew what happened to us, you would probably understand. Inside are some individual notes addresses to certain people.

Sincerely, Tracey

Dear Daryl,

Thanks for helping me and trusting me. If we meet again, and you are still mad, I understand. You were kind to me when not so many people were, and I tip my hat hat to you. I'll remember you, and once again, sorry I lied to you.

Sincerely, Tracey

Dear Hershel,

Thanks for healing me, I know when I first came here I was more trouble than help.

Sincerely, Tracey

Dear Rick,

Thanks for trusting me. Become a great leader, and treat that kid well, he has potential to become a great shooter.

Sincerely, Tracey

Tracey and Jax left that morning unnoticed, and they were sad, especially Tracey. They made their way back to the house and was greeted by hugs. They left the next morning, walkers were moving closer to them. Aiden was getting more moody and cold than when Tracey had left.

Tracey told them all about the group and why they left. Rosie was sympathetic for Tracey when she heard about Dale and that she left Daryl.

They were driving to Aiden's uncle, Joshua, in Savannah. He owned a boat, and there was an island big enough to live in nearby.

It took awhile, but finally, they arrived there. Aiden's uncle was nice. He started up the boat while the teens grabbed some more supplies. "Okay, boat is ready, and we are off." Joshua announced, and then there was growling.

A group of the Sick, or walkers, stumbled onto the dock. "Kids!" Joshua yelled.

Tracey and Jax were the first ones on the boat. The rest came only a couple minutes behind them. Joshua ran out to untie the boat, and the second the rope landed in the water, he ran for the boat. He was grabbed mid jump by one of the Sick. Aiden sailed the boat, and Tracey shielded Vera from the attack. And for once, Vera didn't resist.

Once on the island, which we called Jackson Island in honor of Tom Sawyer, we set up our tent. No one was extremely frazzled by Joshua's death. Aiden was even worse than when Tracey and Jax came back. He was getting into more fights with Rosie and Jax. Tracey went to talk to him after every single one, but it wasn't worth it anymore. He started yelling at her too. Aiden regretted seeing the look on her face, and knew he had betrayed her.

She didn't chase after him at all when he fought, and he missed it.

One day, there was an extremely heated argument. Rosie was accusing Aiden of being bossier than usual and not being the way he used to. It ended when Aiden shoved Rosie, and he stormed off onto the boat. "Liam! Time to go one run." he called. Liam saw Rosie on the ground and looked at Aiden. He knew what happened.

When they were halfway between the island and the mainland, he confronted Aiden. "Hey, did you push my sister?" he asked. "Yeah, so? She was getting on my nerves." Aiden answered without looking at him. They got the supplies, and headed back. "Why?" Liam asked finally. "I told you." Aiden said. "No, why are you being like this?! Was it because Tracey left? Was it because you wanted to be the one who ran off with her? Because you have a crush on her?! And why do you pick on my sister? She's so sweet and innocent, you're the reason why we had to do so many bad decisions!" he asked, and regretted it. " I am not." Aiden said, and pushed him. "I'm sorry, man. That was the anger talking. But I seriously want to know, why are you being like this?" Liam asked.

Aiden had enough of Liam, and pushed him. Liam slipped on the ground, and hit his head. He was thrown into the water, unconscious, and he drowned.


End file.
